Page 88 of When The Night Falls

He ruffled my hair, lay down beside me and tucked his hands under his head. ‘We got sushi for you. Dinner’s served.’

‘Oh. That was kind.’

‘It was my idea,’ Jason said proudly. ‘You’ve hardly eaten the last couple of days. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. You barely touched my scrambled eggs this morning, and that’s unusual to say the least.’

If only he had been aware that it was solely because the taste now reminded me of William and the morning in his flat.

‘Everyone needs dinner, Cara,’ Jon said strictly and ran a hand through his short, light-brown hair, trying to tidy it.

‘How’s living with Giselle?’ I asked Stephen.

‘It’s great. I’d forgotten how nice it is to have a female round the place. Everything smells wonderful all the time, even the bathroom after I’ve had a shit.’

‘Same,’ Jason said and patted his shoulder. ‘Moving apart wasn’t all that bad after all. Cara keeps the place constantly clean. There’s hardly a speck of dust anywhere, ever.’

I smiled amusedly. ‘You clean just as much as I do.’

‘Maybe.’

‘That, he does.’ Stephen nodded. ‘But he’s been scared of germs since forever. Occupational hazard, I guess.’ After a visual sweep of my bedroom, he directed his brown eyes to mine. ‘Love what you’ve done with the place. All I had in here was that wardrobe, a desk for gaming and a bed. I barely recognise it.’

‘Agreed. It’s strangely homey, but fashionably at that,’ Jon said and reached for one of my beige decorative pillows to tuck it under his head.

‘The rug is a nice touch.’ Stephen stepped forward and rubbed his foot against the white fabric. ‘Very soft.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Anyway, let’s eat,’ Jason said. ‘I’m famished.’

§ § §

Poker night was being held at Alexander’s place in Kensington, so the lads left around half six to be there by seven. Their friendly presence had helped me forget about William for a couple of hours, so the silence that ensued after their departure came as a bit of a shock. Suddenly it was just me and my thoughts again, and for once, it wasn’t something I enjoyed. In an attempt to drown them out, I played music so loud that I couldn’t process a single word on the page as I tried to revise. Finally, I abandoned revising altogether and allowed the music to consume me instead.

In the darkness of my bedroom, I listened until my ears ached. Only then did I turn it off and decide it was time for bed. It was nearly midnight when I did, but I didn’t expect Jason home anytime soon, so sleep was my best option in the search for a distraction. As I closed my eyes, I hoped he would find his way into my bed instead of his own.

Though scarcely, I had managed to catch some sleep when I suddenly woke to the sound of the front door being slammed shut. Harsh whispers followed, but I couldn’t distinguish the words.

Jason, I presumed, but he was evidently not alone. My pulse spiked when my thoughts settled on William. I hoped desperately that it was him because, if it was, I could force him to talk to me. Then again, I hardly dared to hope for it since I considered it highly unlikely that he would risk encountering me so soon after what had happened.

Pushing my duvet aside, I decided to find out. While I put on my nightdress, I heard the subtle sounds of retching. Jason must have had too much to drink.

I opened my bedroom door as quietly as I could and saw light streaming out of the bathroom. The door was open, and once the sounds of vomiting settled somewhat, Jason moaned, ‘Shit, the world’s spinning so fast. I think I should go home.’

‘Shush, be quiet. You’ll wake Cara.’

My heart jolted at the sound of William’s authoritative voice. My prayers had been heard.

‘Cara’s not here. She’s at home.’

‘You are home, you fucking knobhead,’ William said, his voice low. Under any other circumstances, that would have made me laugh, but William’s presence had made me apprehensive, so not a sound made its way out of my mouth.

‘Really?’ Jason asked, sounding surprised. ‘Ah, yes. This my beloved toilet, isn’t it?’

‘Yes.’

‘God, I’m so drunk.’

‘You really are.’

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